#1 in 2012: 3 things Zig Ziglar told me at lunch | Jon Acuff’s Blog – (It’s fitting that this was the most popular post this year, because this year we lost a legend.) A few weeks ago I had the chance to eat lunch with Zig Ziglar and his amazing family. At the end of the lunch though, when we were getting ready to leave, Zig leaned forward on the table, pointed his finger at me, as if to say, “If you only hear 3 things today young man, hear these,” and then said this:

The Self-Righteous Wife – The Gospel Coalition Blog -I’ve spoken to newly married girlfriends who have shared their frustrations with their new spouse. There is generally some area that the women wish their husbands would improve on, and they are growing weary waiting. We generally come to the same conclusion—their husbands may need to grow, but perhaps the wives are struggling with being judgmental and self-righteous. We can look at our men, see sin, and be too quick and eager to point it out.

How to Disarm an Angry Person-It is the most difficult of maneuvers. There are no guarantees of success. And the stakes are high. But we have no choice: we must learn how to do it.

Clever Phrase Here: Critical Thinker or Critical Spirit?-But critical thinking, while good in its pure form, can become ugly. Those of us who tend to be analytical can slowly warp into Mr. Grumpy Grumps. As I thought it over, here are a few things I think are signs that my critical thinking has turned into a critical spirit.

Letters of Note: Nothing good gets away- In November of 1958, John Steinbeck — the renowned author of, most notably, The Grapes of Wrath, East of Eden, and Of Mice and Men — received a letter from his eldest son, Thom, who was attending boarding school. In it, the teenager spoke of Susan, a young girl with whom he believed he had fallen in love. Steinbeck replied the same day. His beautiful letter of advice can be enjoyed…

AlbertMohler.com – How Did This Happen? The Family Crisis as a Theological Crisi…-The first thing to understand about the present crisis of the family is that it did not materialize overnight.” Indeed, it did not. The current crisis of the family must be traced to economic, political, social, and ideological causes. But there is another cause as well. The family crisis is a theological crisis, and this must be the church’s first concern.

My goal is not to raise children who conform to my hopes, wishes, dreams, or standards; my goal is to raise children who walk in the “discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4). Hence, my reproof must always be geared toward leading them Christward. ~ Voddie Baucham